Penn State University Park

Security and Risk Analysis

Penn State Berks
Penn State Harrisburg
University Park, College of Information Sciences and Technology (SRA)

The Bachelor of Science in Security and Risk Analysis (SRA) in the College of Information Sciences and Technology is intended to familiarize students with the general frameworks and multidisciplinary theories that define the area of security and related risk analyses. Courses in the major will engage students in the challenges and problems associated with assuring information confidentiality and integrity (e.g., social, economic, technology-related, and policy issues), as well as the strengths and weaknesses of various methods for assessing and mitigating associated risk.

The major provides a grounding in the analysis and modeling efforts used in information search, visualization, and creative problem solving. This knowledge is supplemented through an examination of the legal, ethical, and regulatory issues related to security that includes analyzing privacy laws, internal control and regulatory policies, as well as basic investigative processes and principles. Such understanding is applied to venues that include transnational terrorism, cyber crimes, financial fraud, risk mitigation, and security and crisis management. It also includes overviews of the information technology that plays a critical role in identifying, preventing and responding to security-related events.

Advisory groups from within and outside the University involved in the design of the major have agreed that graduates who can understand the cognitive, social, economic, and policy issues involved in security and risk management as well as the basics of the information technology and analytics that are included in the security/risk arena will be very successful. These observations drove the design and objectives of the SRA major.

SRA majors will choose one of the following options:

INTELLIGENCE ANALYSIS AND MODELING OPTION. This option focuses on developing a more thorough knowledge of the strategic and tactical levels of intelligence collection, analysis, and decision-making. This includes examining the foundations of decision analysis, economic theory, statistics, data mining, and knowledge management, as well as the security-specific contexts in which such knowledge is applied.

INFORMATION AND CYBER SECURITY OPTION. This option includes a set of courses that provides an understanding of the theories, skills, and technologies associated with network security, cyber threat defense, information warfare, and critical infrastructure protection across multiple venues.

SOCIAL FACTORS AND RISK. This option includes the legal, regulatory, ethical, and other theories associated with security and risk. Such an examination is focused on understanding the social factors and causes that are linked to transnational terrorism, investigations and litigation involved in business, and other security-related environments.

For the B.S. degree in Security and Risk Analysis, a minimum of 120 credits is required.

Scheduling Recommendation by Semester Standing given like (Sem: 1-2)

GENERAL EDUCATION: 45 credits
(22 credits are included in the REQUIREMENTS FOR THE MAJOR)
(See description of General Education in front of the Bulletin.)

FIRST-YEAR SEMINAR: (Included in ELECTIVES or GENERAL EDUCATION course selection)

UNITED STATES CULTURES AND INTERNATIONAL CULTURES: (Included in REQUIREMENTS FOR THE MAJOR)

WRITING ACROSS THE CURRICULUM:(Included in REQUIREMENTS FOR THE MAJOR)

SUPPORTING COURSES AND RELATED AREAS (18 credits)
Attainment of third-level proficiency in a single foreign language (12 credits). Proficiency must be demonstrated by either examination or course work. See the admission section of the general information in this Bulletin for the placement policy for Penn State foreign language courses. (Sem: 1-4)
Select 6 credits of international courses from RL ST 001 GH(3), HIST 010 GH(3), or HIST 011 GH(3) (Sem: 5-8) or other courses approved by adviser.

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